The contemporary world has changed post-pandemic. The conventional model of working style has been replaced with the new generation of working schedules. At the same time, efficient employee monitoring tools are also necessary for tracking employee productivity.
These working schedules have transformed the work culture and have given a completely different outlook to the corporate world. Post-pandemic employees have settled into the flexibility of working from home and anticipate keeping things considerably more flexible than before the pandemic.
This shift is an opening to a new world, and corporate leaders must look at the pros and cons of this change. It should be noted that in the USA before COVID, only 25% of the employees sometimes worked from home. And only 15% of the employees had fixed remote working days.
Some employees working in the hybrid remote work model have claimed that this working style provides a better work-life balance. It saves commuting time and thus leads to cost savings and high employee productivity.
It must be addressed that employees want to start working from the office. This is so because heavy digital consumption has resulted in increased fatigue. Therefore, employees wish for interactions, light moments, and office experience.
Workers and businesses worldwide have embraced the remote working style for the past two years. However, now that the pandemic is over, companies want their employees back in the office.
But, the experience of working from home has given me a sense of work freedom. Employees are unwilling to remain confined to desks and a 9 to 5 work shift schedule.
Hence, a hybrid work schedule is designed to overcome the conflict and find a meeting point for employees and companies.
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Define Hybrid Work Schedule
A hybrid work schedule can be defined as a combination of conventional and remote working styles. A hybrid work schedule arrangement is established so employees work remotely and onsite.
The proportion of remote and onsite work days varies depending on corporate policy and individual choices. Therefore, a hybrid work schedule mixes both regular office-based and remote work.
According to corporate standards, employees divide their time between the workplace and a location of their choice. Employees in the future workplace will smoothly integrate into hybrid teams regardless of their location.
This begins with developing effective communication and planning techniques. But, it also requires breaking down isolation and creating a connected workplace.
To choose the correct hybrid work schedule for your company, it is essential to learn the pros and cons of the same.
Benefits of Hybrid Work Schedule
Employees today expect their office spaces to be more than just a place where they perform the same tasks every day. Employees are looking for a work atmosphere that supports their overall growth.
In a hybrid work schedule, employees are hired worldwide, and their productivity gets checked through a time-tracking tool. In this way, employees can improve their professional abilities by working as part of a global team.
It will benefit the organization as each employee will be offering something unique to the table. Leapmax employee monitoring software helps supervisors in managing employees working in a hybrid work model.
Therefore, hybrid work schedules can boost cooperation and productivity when properly organized and implemented. Thus, it will lead to employee retention and overall business growth.
Below are some points that will help you understand the benefits of a hybrid work schedule.
1. Increased Productivity
Hybrid work schedules are more convenient than traditional office schedules as they involve less rigidity in the working style. Such flexibility enables the employees to decide their working schedules.
As per the importance of the task, employees decide their working timings, and thus, it will lead to enhanced productivity.
2. Work Collaboration and Relation
The hybrid work model heavily depends on virtual meetings as employees do not follow a standard work schedule. Hence, to have proper connectivity, virtual meetings are conducted.
But with this, it also brings the risk of burnout as less physical interaction increases employee fatigue. Therefore, the hybrid workplace should be well-designed to benefit the company.
However, a well-designed hybrid schedule can benefit company culture and collaboration. One method to achieve this is by establishing a good desk booking solution.
It will allow employees to reserve a desk and see who else is in the office. Employees can connect more easily using hybrid-specific tools. It also helps in improving team collaboration.
In-person collaboration is essential for employees in choosing a work location. As per a Gallup poll, “38% of fully remote workers would prefer hybrid work environments.”
In other words, work-from-home employees enjoy flexibility. However, 4 out of 10 would utilize some of their home time for in-person office experiences.
3. Cost Savings
Hybrid working schedules have become a key instrument in saving operational costs for companies. Since employees are not coming to the office daily, the floor occupancy has reduced.
This has led to cost savings for the employer and, at the same time, for the employee. Since employees also do not come to the office daily, traveling costs are saved.
In addition, hybrid work models can improve a company’s ability to manage work disruptions caused by poor weather, natural disasters, or other unforeseeable events.
Thus, in a hybrid work schedule, employees enjoy financial freedom and work flexibility. Work can continue even if physical offices are not accessible with a disturbed workforce.
4. Innovation and creativity
A hybrid work schedule also promotes creativity and innovation. It helps the employees with freedom of work flexibility. It encourages employees to find new inspirations and experiences in different situations.
Hybrid work schedules contribute to different problem-solving and thinking. At the same time, it promotes creativity and innovation. As a result, both employees and the company benefit from this.
Here are some Prime Hybrid Work Schedules,
1. Cohort Schedules
Commonly, the definition of a cohort is a group of people who share a common trait for some time. Consider a group of workers working in the same department.
The sales team focuses on a specific geographic area for a particular purpose of releasing a new product. Similarly, a cohort schedule divides employees into functional groups. And each employee will have their own set of onsite and remote workdays.
A cohort schedule requires less time management as the same team works for the same working days. Also, it enables equal flexibility for the entire support staff.
2. Staggered Hybrid Schedules
Staggered hybrid schedules are similar to cohort schedules but with little difference. It is more rigid than the cohort hybrid schedules.
In this work schedule, employees must always arrive and leave the office simultaneously to avoid congestion and ensure that only a specified number of people are present at any given moment.
This schedule is appropriate for shift-based work in warehouses or medical institutions.
3. Schedules Set by Managers
Direct managers and their direct reports make these schedules to find a solution that works for everyone. Managers may choose to direct the team regarding the newly planned schedule.
They may decide when the employees should be available in the office. It provides equal flexibility for everyone and helps in promoting remote team collaboration. As in this work schedule, the same rule applies to all.
Conclusion
According to some recent studies, 37% of employees think of changing their jobs if they cannot work remotely. Therefore, a hybrid work schedule helps increase productivity by allowing flexibility in working conditions.
However, this flexibility is not absolute. Supervisors can monitor employee productivity remotely. Employee monitoring tools such as Leapmax are significant assets for management. Leapmax workforce analytics helps to track productivity and enable growth.
